Word-Of-the-Week #873: Fabulous
April 29, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #873: Fabulous
Fabulous – extremely pleasing; incredible.
When was the last time you felt fabulous? Or had an incredible experience? Do you aspire to be better than you are?
This week’s WOW is one of my favorite words too and I am sharing the first half of “How to Be Fabulous,” by Kerry Manning.
“Fabulous is probably my favorite word. When I was on the cusp of turning 50 I had really mixed feelings – do I duck it and pretend to be 49 for years, or do I embrace it. I decided to go with the latter and to be fabulous at 50 and beyond.
Words are very important to me. I am writing a book about how single words have changed my life, and the word Fabulous would have to be included. This time last year I had a breakdown – a hard-earned one, and I can honestly say that embracing the fabulous has been a huge part of my journey.
I have been through a lot. A broken marriage, depression and numerous health issues which are still ongoing. The one thing I have learned is that the only person you can be is you. And it is your obligation to be the best you that you can be.
My favorite quote is this one from Dr Seuss.
“Today you are you, that is truer than true.
There is no one alive that is youer than you.”
When we are authentic, we are fabulous.
So how do you embrace your Fabulousness?
There are 6 principles of fabulousness that I have figured out.
- Positivity
Being positive is another of those skills that you have to practice. Like any form of exercise, it can be hard and frustrating at first.
The first time on the treadmill is hard, the second is harder, you feel awful, sore and sweaty, but ultimately you get it and start to feel fantastic. I only started walking (as a form of exercise) in my late forties. The first walk was so short, but after a short while I was clocking up the miles and I felt better.
Positivity is like that. Tap into positivity. Find your self daily affirmations – I am fabulous – and spend time around positive people – both online and off-line.
- Inspiration
Inspiration is a wonderful thing. We all aspire to be better than we are and tapping into inspiration stretches us and makes us want to put the effort in to be a better version of ourselves. find inspiration in my daily life, I also find it online by following people who I admire.
How many ‘friends’ do you have on Facebook? How many people do you follow? Follow people who you admire and aspire to be like. Read books, listen to the radio and podcasts, put yourself in a place where you are inspired. But remember what you goal is – to be the best version of yourself.
- Motivation
This is another biggie for me. Motivation. Where do you find the motivation to do what you do every day, and then where are you going to find the motivation to do even more?
Motivation is your reason for acting on something. Your reason for getting up and changing things. My motivation is simple – I never want to go back to being a quivering scared woman in a marriage that was hurting me. I want to be the best mom I can to my son and I want people to know that everyone deserves to be happy.
That is a big vision, I know. We also need to break it down and talk about daily motivations. Perhaps you need some incentives on a daily or monthly basis to do nice things for yourself. That sounds funny just saying it but woman generally put everyone first before they do something for themselves. Your motivation is to be the best you that you can be and I promise you this that everyone around you will benefit from you being fabulous.
So set yourself some goals and set up some treats and incentives.
This week’s focus is on feeling fabulous! Are you surrounding yourself with positivity? Do you have people in your life that you admire? Where do you find the motivation to do what you do every day?
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Word-Of-the-Week #872: Captivation
April 22, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #872: Captivation
Captivation – a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual.
When was the last time you experienced something wonderful and unusual? Is there a special captivating place you’ve been wanting to visit?
This week’s WOW is a serendipitous follow up to last weeks Enchantment. Ironically, I was on a road trip to Joshua Tree and Borrego Springs!
I had planned a get away with my girlfriend Sandra to celebrate our birthdays back in late January. But with COVID restrictions it just didn’t feel like the right time to venture out. We weren’t sure if
restaurants were open and frankly, I didn’t want to go on a vacation and have to cook!
As it turns out March and April are two of the best months to enjoy the desert. I call it Goldilocks’ weather…not too hot and not too cold. What makes Joshua Tree so captivating are the twisted, bristled Joshua trees, and the rock formations.
“With nearly 800,000 acres of mystical beauty, Joshua Tree National Park is undoubtedly one of the world’s most incredible natural desert treasures. Sweeping and grand in scale, along with the all the trees, it’s populated by granite monoliths and voluptuous rock and boulder formations.”
FUN-fact – The Joshua Tree is known to grow in just two places on Earth. Here and somewhere near Jerusalem.
We spent two days hiking and exploring before heading off to Borrego Springs, home to the world-famous Sky Art Metal Sculptures and one of the few designated International Dark Sky Communities in the world.
More exploring was on our list of things to do and see along with some relaxation at the La Casa Del Zorro Spa. 😊 While we didn’t get a super bloom like 2017 we did get to see some nice desert flower blooms.
More FUN-facts – There are an amazing 130 full-sized metal sculptures – many inspired by creatures that roamed this same desert millions of years ago. The artworks range from prehistoric mammals to historical characters, fanciful dinosaurs, and a 350-foot-long fanciful serpent.
Borrego Springs is completely surrounded by Anza-Borrego State Park, the largest California State Park.
This week’s focus is on finding captivation. What would you want to do or see that would be wonderful and unusual? Can you make that happen this year?
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Word-Of-the-Week #871: Enchantment
April 15, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #871: Enchantment
Enchantment – a feeling of delight; utter captivation; fascination.
When was the last time you experienced enchantment? Have you found any inspirations in this new year?
Once again, Steve Straus, author of STEVE’S 3-MINUTE COACHING, sent a very thought provoking piece.
Quote: Enchantment
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This week’s focus is on enchantment. When was the last time you had a feeling of delight? Is there anything that fascinates you or that you find utterly captivating?
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Word-Of-the-Week #870: Consider
April 8, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #870: Consider
Consider – to think carefully about (something), especially before making a decision.
Do you have a need to know all the answers? How receptive are you to differing ideas from others?
This week longtime friend Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor has more good advice. He writes,
First of All …
Your job isn’t to HAVE all the answers, merely to be able to FIND them. Why would you knock yourself out struggling with a problem if you could get your staff to solve it themselves … especially when they wanted to?
I saw this clearly when I was working with a client and a question arose about uniforms. One of his restaurants had them and one didn’t. He had been concerned the staff [at the restaurant without uniforms] would revolt at the idea of wearing them. I suggested he just ask the crew what they thought about the idea and, if they were open to it, let them come up with what they wanted to wear, subject to his final OK.
He called one of his lead people over and raised the question. Her response: “Well, if we got to pick them, uniforms would really be cool!” She then proceeded to suggest all sorts of possibilities. What could be easier?
Someone once asked, “How can I make my staff feel like they’re part of things?” I replied, “MAKE them part of things!” [Duh!]
If you want to keep the good people, they must be involved in decisions affecting their lives. They’ll be happier, more productive and stay longer. You’ll get better solutions to problems without having to figure everything out yourself.
Secondly …
It appears I’m off on an extended rant about wages. I do things like that sometimes. You may not agree with my thoughts but hear me out. Take my advice with a grain of salt … and please feel free to share dissenting opinions.
The order of the Universe isn’t threatened by differing views. The danger is when your thinking becomes so rigid you refuse to consider other positions or discount their validity. The Universal order is only in peril when we refuse to engage in reasoned dialogue.
Any time you think your staff is being stubborn and wonder where they get that attitude, just look in the mirror. YOU are the role model [whether you want the job or not] and they will deal with YOU the same way you are dealing with THEM.
To help bring people to a different way of thinking, you must first be willing to change your own position. Then LISTEN, ask good questions, seek to understand their reasoning, reflect on what you learn and respect your insights. People will only change when THEY see the wisdom of another approach, not because they’ve been forced into it.
[Spoiler Alert: Sometimes YOU will be the one who comes to a different way of thinking!]
This week’s focus is on thinking carefully before making a decision. How rigid are you? Do you allow others to be involved in decisions affecting their lives? Are you willing to change your position?
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Word-Of-the-Week #869: April Fools
April 1, 2021 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #869: April Fools
April Fools – practical jokes or tricks played on the first day of April.
Since today is April 1st , I thought I’d keep it light and FUN! Do you know that the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery?
This explanation comes from History.com. “On April 1, 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other.
Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes.
These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as poisson d’avril (April fish), said to symbolize a young, “easily hooked” fish and a gullible person.
April Fools’ Day spread throughout Britain during the 18th century. In Scotland, the tradition became a two-day event, starting with “hunting the gowk,” in which people were sent on phony errands (gowk is a word for cuckoo bird, a symbol for fool) and followed by Tailie Day, which involved pranks played on people’s derrieres, such as pinning fake tails or “kick me” signs on them.
Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth.
In modern times, people have gone to great lengths to create elaborate April Fools’ Day hoaxes. Newspapers, radio and TV stations and websites have participated in the April 1 tradition of reporting outrageous fictional claims that have fooled their audiences.
Lego vacuum: Lego got everyone excited when it announced a vacuum that would clean up and sort Lego bricks by color.
In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1985, Sports Illustrated writer George Plimpton tricked many readers when he ran a made-up article about a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a fastball over 168 miles per hour.
In 1992, National Public Radio ran a spot with former President Richard Nixon saying he was running for president again… only it was an actor, not Nixon, and the segment was all an April Fools’ Day prank that caught the country by surprise.
In 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food restaurant chain, duped people when it announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and intended to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. In 1998, after Burger King advertised a “Left-Handed Whopper,” scores of clueless customers requested the fake sandwich. Google notoriously hosts an annual April Fools’ Day prank that has included everything from “telepathic search” to the ability to play Pac Man on Google Maps.
For the average trickster, there is always the classic April Fools’ Day prank of covering the toilet with plastic wrap or switching out sugar and salt.”
Today’s focus is on having some FUN playing tricks and practical jokes!
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